All This Soul Mark Business Re-Dub
by Kira The Fox Kit
Summary: From the lovely vividpast! My continuation version of their story by the same name. Summary inside.
1. Extra! Extra! The Kings Soulmark!

I'm Baaaaaaccccckkkkk! Yes after many years I have finally got my spark for writing back. For my lovely followers who were hoping for another Kingdom Hearts fic, I am sorry to say that I may not write any more of those. We will have to see.

Currently, my love is The Hobbit with Thilbo as a pairing. Which is what this is (plus other pairings later.) So without further ado...the summary story!

Original story and plot borrowed from Vividpast. Go check them out they have great stories! Everyone has a soul mark on their bodies. Soul mates are identified by having the exact same soul marks. Bilbo Baggins longs for his soul mate and proudly shows off his mark hoping for a match. Across the world King Thorin hides his believing he will never meet it's partner. That is until one rabid fan gets a bit too handsy!

As long as Thorin could remember, he had been rigorously trained on how to be a prince and then, eventually, to be a king. In college, he had decided to get a part-time job as a barista in the local coffee shop. The media had a field day with that and said the coffee shop's business bloomed like flowers in spring the whole four years he was working there. His parents had humored him, but still had at least three bodyguards stay with him through his shifts.

The point was this: being a king was like having any other job – like being a barista. Except, of course, for the endless mountain of paperwork, much greater salary, servants who actually brewed the coffee for you, usual assassination attempts, tight security watching and monitoring every move you make, counselors and advisors who created headaches instead of lessening them, enormous mansion to live in, and, let's not forget, the constant attention of media and the public.

On second thought, being a king was nothing like being barista. A barista also probably wouldn't be forced to marry someone who didn't share their soul-mark.

The Council was already highly encouraging (nagging) him to find someone to marry – not to go out with, not to invite to dinner, just straight-up marry. They reasoned that seeing their king being 'happy' with his chosen consort would lift the morale of his people.

"There will be nothing happy about me and the consort I chose out of duty," Thorin had bit back and the councilors stayed silent at that. He managed to get them off his back but was under no delusion that they would stay silent for long.

Thorin was just thankful the councilors cannot deny him his soul-mate, whoever they were. His people valued soul-marks and marriage far too much to let gender, social status, duty or anything else hinder such fate. He had heard that in some countries, same-sex people were forbidden to even marry; Thorin grimaced when he contemplated on such a law. Would the morale of the people truly be lifted if he married someone that didn't share the same soul-mark as his? He wasn't a child anymore; he knew that not everyone finds their soulmate in their lifetime and he might be one of them. His soul-mate could have died already, could already be married to someone they truly loved, could be a priest or nun . . .

His hand unconsciously came up to his chest. He didn't know why he was still hoping, still looking. He was thirty-four years old, he was far too old for fairytales and cliched romantic dinners. Perhaps it was time to look at the list of potential candidates the Council had drawn up and seriously consider each one of them.

"The plane's landed," said Dwalin, head of Royal Security and one of his closest friends. He elbowed Thorin none-too-gently as he got to his feet. The prodding startled him out of his musings. Out of the plane's window, he saw the airport and the flashes of cameras made even more prominent by the darkness of the sky. He sighed and stood up.

He followed Dwalin to the aisle and gruffly elbowed his friend back. The bodyguard merely grunted in reply. "What time is it?" Thorin asked, realizing just how exhausted he was. It had been a busy week.

"I ain't a watch," Dwalin grumbled. He ordered his men over the radio about line formations and human barriers for a few minutes. "I reckon it's past midnight," he eventually answered.

Balin, the King's First Advisor and Dwalin's older brother, lifted an unamused brow at their antics. The three of them gathered at the entrance of the plane, two more bodyguards hovering behind them. "I trust you know what to do, Your Highness," Balin said.

The king arranged the collar of his coat and combed down his long hair. Dwalin contributed by flicking out imaginary lint on his suit. They've done this procession literally a thousand times; of course, Thorin knew what to do.

"Stand tall, walk quickly, no comment on any question, don't stop to sign anything or take photos with anyone, give a wave and a winning smile." He pulled his lips in a demonstration of said smile.

Balin and Dwalin didn't exactly take a step back but they were certainly tempted to. "Uh . . . drop the smile, laddie. Never your strong suit, anyway," Balin advised with a reassuring smile. Thorin rolled his eyes. He never did learn to properly fake a smile, even though his occupation practically necessitated it. Well, according to the papers Balin told him not to read, his intimidating and almost scowling resting face was his trademark so he would not rob the paps of it.

"All clear," Dwalin's radio crackled. "A'right. We're comin' out," Dwalin replied to it before placing it back to its strap around his hip. "After you, Your Highness," he said cheekily as he went to open the door.

Thorin took a deep calming breath. It might be the last fresh air he'd taste for a short while. The plane door opened and almost immediately, camera flashes assaulted his eyes. He stepped forward, an aura of aloofness and confidence draping over his shoulders like a cape.

For his Master's thesis, Bilbo Baggins had traced the origins of soul-mates and soul-marks through Westron literature and discussed their effects in certain societies, which, in turn, affected their literature. He earned the highest remarks possible for it.

Suffice to say, Bilbo found the idea of soul-mates more than interesting. Combine that with the fact that he really loved reading books, and you got yourself a job. He was well-suited to being a professor of Westron literature at Mithrandir University. Said university was one of the very few in the Shire that actually had a research department about soul-mates. They had rare books and documents that had Bilbo teary-eyed when he first saw them.

However, as Bilbo would find out, being a professor of Westron literature is not for the faint of heart. There were advantages, of course, he was being paid to read and discuss classic literary works, got to hear and facilitate brilliant debates about the interpretation of stories and essays and had a lot of time to work on hobbies, like, writing novels and researching more about soul-marks.

Then, there are the disadvantages. He had to read stupid essays that were mostly nonsense and, seeing as he required no less than five thousand words per work, he'd be checking the ghastly papers throughout the night.

Bilbo Baggins removed his thick-framed glasses with one hand and furiously rubbed his eyes with the other. A headache had started at the back of his head hours ago and it had become truly unbearable.

Bilbo had been in college once, had been in the shoes of those poor overworked students. He knew they had other deadlines to meet and other commitments to see through, which was why he always gave them three full weeks to work on any paper he assigned them. Three weeks! And still, half of the submission had obviously been crammed and/or copy-pasted from SparkNotes.

Bilbo can be a bit behind the times, especially since all those Twitter, Instagram, and whatnots came out, but he did know how to use a computer. While SparkNotes and Wikipedia did indeed have some useful insights when it comes to certain readings, he wished his students came to these conclusions themselves.

There were some magnificent ones, to be sure, but some papers just made him want to gouge his eyes out. Okay, just one more paper then he would turn in. He shuffled the documents, neatly arranging them into checked and unchecked piles. The checked pile wasn't even half of the total papers. Sometimes, he contemplated just skimming through it all and guessing their grades. But no, he couldn't be heartless. Some of his students diligently wrote their thoughts and put a lot of effort into their papers. He sighed and picked up the first essay on the bigger pile. The paper contained a name, and three lines of text.

 **Sherlock Holmes: My New Insights** **I have no new insights about Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle sucks. Holmes and Watson are fucking gay for each other. Fucking Homos.**

Dear Eru, have mercy.

He closed his eyes and groaned, "You could have tried, Bolg. I'll even accept a bit of bullshitting from you." There was always at least one troubled student in each class and Bolg Azogson was probably the most troublesome of them all.

That was it. He was going to sleep and deal with all of them tomorrow. He gathered the papers and shoved them into his satchel. After that, he went through his nightly routine of brushing his teeth, cleaning up, and changing into a pair of cotton pajamas.

He flopped down on his bed and sluggishly got under the covers, physically and mentally exhausted, but as soon as he laid down on the bed, sleep inexplicably eluded him. Twisting and turning, he sighed and laid on his back and, as he frequently did whenever he couldn't sleep, ran his fingertips over the imprints along the inside of his left wrist.

The thought of his soul-mark always soothed him in ways only his mother's embrace ever could. He couldn't pinpoint exactly why. After all, of the thirty-one years he had been alive, the soul-mark was a constant reminder of a soulmate he never met—might never meet, in fact. But the mark was always a source of comfort nevertheless.

Bilbo lifted his arm, opening his eyes to look at his mark. From the dim light spilling from the city life outside, he could see the curving and distinguishable shape of a tree. The branches traced the veins in his wrist and the the leaves were jerky contours around his skin. Some soul-marks actually had vibrant colors, not unlike that of tattoos but his mark was just plain black ink. The trunk of the tree—oak, Bilbo found out after extensive research—ended with swirling roots at the base. At the bottom right just past the crook of his elbow, as if an afterthought, a single discernible acorn about the size of his thumb lay on its side.

The mark took up most of his forearm, and Bilbo did nothing to cover it whenever he went outside. He never wore shirts with sleeves that went beyond the elbow. He admitted that part of the reason was because he was still hoping someone would see it, grab Bilbo by his shoulders, show their own mark, and declare him the soul-mate they had always been looking for.

He couldn't help but laugh. It was wishful thinking of a middle-aged man. Many books and movies depicted the finding of one's soul-mate as easy and romantic. The real world was quite different. Statistically, only 56% of the population actually meet their soulmate, though that number supposedly increased with the invention of social media websites. Others, not often but not uncommon either, actually fall in love with people with different soul-marks and decided to settle down with them. Furthermore, being with your soul-mate didn't exactly guarantee a happy ending, just a greater chance at one.

Bilbo closed his eyes, shaking off the unbidden thoughts of soul-mates and soul-marks. Well, soul-mate or not, as long as he found someone to fall in love with and who would fall in love with him in return, he would be a happy man. Really, he could ask for no more.

Unfortunately for him, it seemed fate was determined to give him more.

Apparently, the king of Erebor's arrival leaked not only to the media. Many civilians shouted at him from behind the barriers, looking rumpled and sweaty. They had probably been waiting for hours just to see a glimpse of him.

Some of them were holding up and enthusiastically shaking signboards with a lot of glitter and exclaiming ridiculous things. ' **YU GOT DA BOOTY** ', ' **MAKE ME UR QUEEN XXX** ', and ' **LET ME KISS UR FEET, UR HIGHNESS** ' were some of the milder ones.

Thankfully, Thorin learned to ignore them by now. Still, he had hoped every time that their screams would get less deafening.

The guards were doing a fine job of holding back the crowd of fans and journalists, but a few hands still grabbed at the king's suit, rumpling it further, while the constant flashes of cameras blinded him. Several microphones were shoved to his face and nonsensical questions followed soon after, all of which Thorin ignored in favor of just march forward.

He wasn't exactly the most congenial and photogenic of kings, unlike Thranduil, he didn't feed on attention.

The limousine was in his sights parked only a few short meters away. Thorin could already feel the relief building in his chest. Of course, that was when an eager fangirl caught him in her desperate grasp. He was jerked to the side and lost the breath in his lungs as he smacked right into the brunette. The girl screamed like a banshee and hugged the living daylights out of him. The king gave her a brief pat on the back before trying to pull back. It was like attempting to detach eagle claws around his neck.

Fortunately, Dwalin approached them before any limbs could be severed. "That's enough, lass," Dwalin hissed, Khuzdul making his tone growly. He attempted to pry off her hand on Thorin's shirt. One hand was relinquished while the other held on for dear life.

"No!" the girl growled back and then, with her grip on the king's front collar, pulled roughly.

 **POP-POP-POP**

The girl made a sound of surprise as her hand abruptly slipped away from the cloth. The three of them glanced down at the sound. Thorin watched as the top three buttons of his shirt popped out at the rough treatment. The red dress shirt opened like curtains in a theater.

He witnessed with wide, shocked eyes as his soul-mark was revealed for all to see. He heard the cameras clicking away in earnest, the shouts of the people increasing tenfold. He snapped out of his daze, and hastily pulled his shirt shut. Dwalin placed a hand on his back and pushed him ahead.

"Go, go, go," the bodyguard growled, face tight with restrained anger. Thorin complied, heart beating in his chest. In less than ten seconds, he was in the limousine. As soon as Balin closed the door behind them, the car drove away from the madness in the airport.

A heavy silence settled over them. Thorin's throat constricted, cutting of any of the words he wished to say and there was a tight rope coiling around his chest where his hand still held his shirt in a vice. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to believe what just happened; he had never felt so violated in his entire life.

Thorin swallowed. "Did they get a clear shot?"

Dwalin's wince was all he needed to confirm his worst nightmare. "There were three civilians with their cell phones out and two cameras rolling right behind that girl."

"I see," Thorin replied with a steadiness he didn't feel. "The pictures will be all over the news by tomorrow."

"I'll call your publicist." Balin said, trying to reassure him. "There might be a way to turn this around." A bark of laughter escaped Thorin's throat, humorless and painful in sound. "Turn this around? There is no possible way we could turn this around. My soul-mark's been revealed, Balin."

His soul-mark –- something so precious to him, something he had been keeping hidden since he was a child, something only he and his soulmate should have shared – it's out there now for the unmerciful eyes to critic, to study, to gossip about. Thorin felt sick and furious and helpless. Sometimes, he truly despised being in the public eye. "Yes, it has," Balin placed a hand on his shoulder. He gave a comforting squeeze. "That doesn't have to be a bad thing, Thorin."

The king glanced at his advisor and saw nothing but an encouraging look. He gazed out of the window and said nothing.

He had a feeling Balin was about to eat his words.

"~ _Far over the Misty Mountains cold_ ~"

Bilbo groaned, blindly grappling for his phone. When he grasped the cold rectangular device, he peered into the ID caller and saw that it was the principal of the university. He also saw that it was six blasted o'clock in the morning!

"Gandalf," he greeted as he answered the call. He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. "There better be someone dying. My first class doesn't start until noon."

"Bilbo, my dear," Gandalf chirped, far too cheery in the morning. "I sent you an e-mail."

"That's great," Bilbo deadpanned. "Old man, one. Technology, zero. You've done it, Gandalf. You've won against a most heinous of villains."

"My boy! Aren't you curious?" Gandalf exclaimed, clearly offended by his remark. He released a sigh while sitting up and kicking off the covers. "Is it urgent?"

"Very urgent, indeed." He could almost see the old man's eyes twinkling with amusement. "I think you'll find it very important."

"Alright." He padded to his desk and turned on his laptop. "What is it about?" He rummaged around the table, looking for his glasses.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise for you, Bilbo." He paused, glasses halfway to his face. His heart skipped a beat. "You're not firing me, are you?"

Gandalf chuckled. "Fire you? You're one of my finest professors!"

"Good." Relief loosened Bilbo's chest. For a moment, he had been worried.

He signed in and checked his inbox. "You sent me a link . . . to an article in Erebor Times?" What business do they have with a country so far away? Gandalf said nothing in reply so Bilbo just clicked it.

"It's all in Khuzdul," Bilbo complained, squinting at the runes and blocky letters. "There's a translation below," Gandalf replied helpfully.

"Oh." Bilbo's face brightened. "I see it."

 **KING THORIN'S SOUL-MARK EXPOSED; SEE THE EXCLUSIVE PICTURES!**

The first thought that went through his mind was 'Poor sod'. Soul-marks were private things. Some people, like Bilbo, voluntarily showed them to the world. However, most people prefer to cover them up, wanting to find their soulmates without being dependent on the marks. Celebrities and politicians especially took extreme precaution not to reveal even parts of their mark since people would surely take advantage of that, which unfortunately appeared to be happening with King Thorin.

"Did you want me to record the people's response to this exposure?" Bilbo asked hesitantly. It would be a good case to include for further studies, to record how people react when someone as famous and as influential as the King had his soul-mark revealed. How many people would claim to be his? How would people view him now?

Bilbo didn't want to be one of those people who took advantage of another's misfortune. King Thorin must be going through something similar to hell right now, with his privacy being breached at this extent, and he didn't want to add to that. Gandalf let out a sigh of fond exasperation. "Just read the article, Bilbo."

Bilbo frowned in bewilderment but pushed his glasses up and complied.

 _"At 12:28 AM last night, King Thorin arrived at the Ered Luin Airport. As usual, he walked past several journalists with his trademark scowling face._ _But in an unexpected twist, a fan had caught him off guard and managed to grab ahold of him. Attempts to extract himself from the fan's grasp led to the exposure of King Thorin's soul-mark! Watch the video below to see the event."_

Bilbo skipped it, grimacing.

 _"As for the soul-mark itself, several close-up pictures of it exist. Below are the ones that show most details of the mark"_

Several images followed after, some a bit blurred while others were in high resolution. They were taken in different angles but all photos had one target in mind. Bilbo took a quick glance at them and hurriedly scrolled down. The less he knew about the issue, the less he would be enraged about the violation of privacy. If it happened to someone he knew, like his nephews or cousins, he would give those journalists a piece of his mind. The article continued, narrating an interview with a fan who –

Wait a minute.

Bilbo slowly scrolled up again to the photos, a hysterical notion niggling his mind. No, it couldn't be. That was impossible. He froze, unable to take his eyes off the two images.

It was his soul-mark—from the branches and leaves of oak, down to the swirling roots. He would recognize it anywhere. The difference was, it was not on his wrist. In fact, the photos seemed to be taken from someone's chest.

Bilbo gawped. What the . . .?

"Did you see it?" Bilbo startled, forgetting he was still on the phone with Gandalf.

"What is this?" he breathed out. "G-Gandalf . . . what?"

Bilbo's whole body turned numb and his mind blanked with shock. "Why, dear Bilbo. I believe congratulations are in order." The old man had the gall to chuckle. "You're the soul-mate of the King of Erebor."

And so, Professor Bilbo Baggins' Tuesday started with him fainting on his desk.


	2. Facebook Twitter Instagram! OhGandalf

chapter 2 here is 2 parts vividpast writing and 2 part my own. After this it will all be my take on the story. I hope to update at least once or twice a week because I will be working on 2-3 other stories at the same time. So I hope my take on this story can live up to vividpast first chapters and come together well.

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The Erebor Court

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The Erebor Court

January 1 at 12:05 AM ·

Happy New Year, Ereboreans! I hope we'll have another fruitful year!

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303,306 102,006 shares 214,935 comments

Harrison Wells Please. I know a lot of people are showing your fake marks but mine is the real one. Visit my profile and look at my pics!

Like · Reply · 1hr

John Constantine You reek of desperation, mate

Like · Reply · 63 likes· 1hr

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"I'm fine, Gandalf," Bilbo reassured. "I was unconscious for less than a minute."

"If you're sure, my dear." Doubt colored the principal's voice. "Why don't I give you a day off to rest and process what you've learned?" It sounded more like a command than a suggestion.

"Oh, no need." The professor hastily said. "I'm certain it's all just some sort of misunderstanding." Maybe they look similar but there will be a minute difference in the leaves or roots.

Or I could still be sleeping. Bilbo pinched himself. Nope. He was awake and was already bruising. "Misunderstanding?" And there went the raised brows. "In what possible way?"

"Well, I'm sure – there is, I mean, I can't be soul-mate to a king!" Bilbo exclaimed, voice shrill. "Why ever not?" Gandalf sounded inappropriately amused about the whole situation. Bilbo was near hysterical in comparison. "You're in our soul-mate research department. You of all people should know that soul-marks know no gender, status, location or anything else."

Bilbo's nose twitched in annoyance. He couldn't believe Gandalf was throwing the professor's own words back to him. And what was more, it was true. It was entirely possible that King Thorin Oakenshield of Erebor was his soul-mate. He just can't wrap his head around it.

A king, his soul-mate. Yavanna, just the idea of it made hysterical laughter bubble in his chest. Well, he had wanted to find his soul-mate, hadn't he? He just hadn't expect to see his soul-mark plastered on a national newspaper.

Perhaps this was one of those 'be careful what you wish for' scenarios. "Aha!" Bilbo pointed at the screen where he had been staring at the photos of another man's chest for several minutes now. He flushed and closed the lid of his laptop. "He doesn't have the acorn."

Gandalf was silent on the other line but Bilbo could feel the expectant air he was emanating.

" . . . but it's probably just farther down," the professor added eventually, reluctant. After all, his own acorn was located far from the rest of his mark; his parents thought it was just a birthmark at first.

"Excellent! I'm glad you're coming to." He heard Gandalf clap his hands. "If you truly plan to work today, please come see me after your classes."

"What? What for?" Bilbo frowned, bewildered.

"As I said before, I don't want to ruin the surprise," was Gandalf's cheerful parting remark before he hung up.

Bilbo stared with suspicion at his phone. What was that meddlesome old man up to now? The professor hoped it wouldn't lead to a part of the campus catching on fire. Again.

He placed his phone on his desk, sighing. His eyes once again strayed to his laptop. He opened the lid, once again meeting with the sight of his soul-mark on the chest of his possible soul-mate.

Thorin Oakenshield. It was a name he only heard in passing, a name discussed in classrooms because of some bold political movements he had been making. All Bilbo knew was that he was the king of Erebor, a large and productive country in the West. Before he knew it, he had opened a new tab in his browser and had typed 'Thori' on the search engine. Then, he came to his senses and vigorously shook his head. This was ridiculous. Utterly unreasonable. There was only one proper thing to do in this situation.

He flopped down on his bed and tried to sleep. Maybe things would finally make sense when he next woke up.

TWITTER

Kate Argent

(a)thesexypsycho

(a)ThorinOakenshield hw abt it, big guy? #TheRealSoulmate /C9u5NotLos

1:49 AM - 12 Jan

Megan Freeman

(a)meganhenchman

I'm the #TheRealSoulmate to (a)ThorinOakenshield ! I've had this since I was a child /Ge25DplQue

2:54 AM - 12 Jan

Crowley Daimon

(a)thedemoninurdreams

(a)ThorinOakenshield u may not think m different than the others but its ril /Ki3f0WolD

6:36 AM - 12 Jan

Cenred King

(a)cenredFREAKINGking

Y don't u all stop harrasing my soulmate. wr ment to b #GETOUTFAKES /Br4tordPal

8:00 AM - 12 Jan

Harrison Floyd

(a)notHarrisonFord

Can we please stop this ridiculous nonsense of pretending to be (a)ThorinOakenshield 's soul-mate? The purpose of having a soul-mark …

9:28 AM - 12 Jan

Harrison Floyd

(a)notHarrisonFord

… is to actually find the person you share it with, no matter who they are. YOU WILL NOT GET YOUR HAPPY ENDING WITH SOMEONE YOU'RE...

9:29 AM - 12 Jan

Harrison Floyd

(a)notHarrisonFord

… PRETENDING TO BE SOUL-MATES WITH! And please stop hounding poor Mr. Oakenshield.

9:30 AM - 12 Jan

Ikol Laufey

(a)TheTrickster

(a)notHarrisonFord You're just jealous because you stand no chance.

9:32 AM - 12 Jan

Harrison Floyd

(a)notHarrisonFord

(a)TheTrickster By the Valar. Can you even read!?

9:35 AM - 12 Jan

Cora Hale

(a)CoraGiveYouHale

Ugh, Eru, I can't believe I woke up to this #TheRealSoulmate shit. None of u r the real soul-mate! Its my cute prof in Westron. /T3q2OGlP

10:03 AM - 12 Jan

Mordred Excali

(a)thewizardboy

(a)CoraGiveYouHale wonders of photo editing. why don't u just pretend to be the one who wants attention don't disturb ur prof no more.

10:05 AM - 12 Jan

Stiles Stilinski

(a)stylesstillin

OMG, (a)CoraGiveYouHale take the pic down! Prof will be so mad!

10:06 AM - 12 Jan

Cora Hale

(a)CoraGiveYouHale

(a)stylesstillin he doesn't have twitter. he won't know.

10:06 AM - 12 Jan

Kudo_Shin

(a)therealkudoshin

(a)CoraGiveYouHale It does look a lot like Profs Baggins' mark but we should really wait for him to confirm it before doing anything. He knows best.

10:07 AM - 12 Jan

Cora Hale

(a)CoraGiveYouHale

(a)stylesstillin (a)therealkudoshin fine fine, deleting it.

10:06 AM - 12 Jan

Dori Vilmson was already in the palace when Thorin and his entourage arrived. The publicist, as usual, looked wide awake and unrumpled even though he had been called in the middle of the night. Thorin had always seen Dori in a prim and proper attire, expression always neutral no matter what kind of catastrophe was about to hit.

That was why Thorin was appropriately intimidated (frightened) when the publicist cursed to high heavens when the full situation was explained to him. Dori fished out his iPad and proceeded to track all the social media sites; he wanted to see what people had been yapping about on the issue. The publicist, after all, handled all of Thorin's accounts simply because he didn't have time for them when ruling an entire country.

Thorin rubbed his eyes. He just wanted to sleep and instantly forget all of this. Then, as if reading his mind, Dori, Balin and Dwalin turned to him. They gave him pitying glances and he replied with a scowl and crossed arms.

"I think it would be best if you get some sleep, Your Highness," Dori suggested. "I'll need time to think of the options available to us anyway."

"And the Council would not gather in the middle of the night," Balin added, patting Thorin on the shoulder.

The king turned sharply to his advisor. "You think this will become a political matter?" Thorin could feel bile building in his throat. Of course, his personal problems could affect his political standing. "It is probable," Balin replied grimly. "You will need a few hours of rest if you're going to headbutt with the Council."

Thorin gritted his teeth. Already, he could tell that his life would be a circus hell in the next months. "I'll be in my room," he bit out and strode away. He needed Dis. But she and his nephews were out of the country, visiting Greenwood to further their relations. As much as Thorin despised Thranduil, the king of Greenwood, he would rather be here, dealing with this mess, than see that scum's face again.

He entered his room and quickly changed into his sleeping wear. Then he threw himself onto the soft mattress of his bed, exhausted in more than one way. Mayhaps things would be better in the morn.

INSTAGRAM

pretty_princess_morgana 6h ago

2 likes

pretty_princess_morgana I've been looking for my soul-mate ever since I realized what that mark on my back was. I never expected that it would the king of Erebor but I'm really glad I found them now. I hope you find me in turn, Thorin _ #ThorinIsMySoulmate

darach_iced Please work on your photoshop skills. This is just embarrassing.

view all 10 comments

asrael_demurr 3h ago

54 likes

asrael_demurr Since this seems to be the new trend, I decided to henna one on my thigh. #TheRealSoulmate #TheOneTrueMark Looks like the real thing, no? Go to Undertale Tattoo Shop in Gondor and I'll give you a similar tat for an awesome price! I can do any design you want, from intricate figures to just simple shapes!

frisk_striped LOL Dude. Way to take advantage of an opportunity.

view all 15 comments

the_mistress 2h

21 likes

the_mistress Soul-mates! #TheRealSoulmate

aggrevain_cornwall Why are you all whoring yourself out?

the_mistress aggrevain_cornwall Certainly not because of your slimy ass, you douche.

game_boobs Nice butt

view all 52 comments

smaug_luciouslocks 32min

1107 likes

smaug_luciouslocks I know many people out there are already pretending to be Thorin Oakenshield's soulmate. They photoshopped or maybe drew that distinguished tree right onto their skins. But I know you guys are fakes. Why do I know that? Not only because I have the real soul-mark but also because you guys didn't realize that the photos didn't capture the whole soul-mark. There was a fallen leaf right below the roots. You can see a glimpse of it in the images shown by the paps. None of you noticed that because none of you have the real mark #IAmTheRealSoulMate #TheRealMark

mori_arty Dear Eru, ur right!

cenred_ruler Guess u rlly can't compete with d real 1

morgaus_lefay Thorin Oakenshield, you better get here. We found your soul-mate!

caitlin_the_scientist Still a faker. I know what the real mark looks like and that part is certainly not a leaf.

smaug_luciouslocks caitlin_the_scientist Then what is it, oh Mrs. High-And-Mighty?

caitlin_the_scientist What? I'll tell you so you could fake it more accurately? I don't think so

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When Bilbo and Thorin both woke up late in the morning, it was with trepidation settling in their stomachs and an inexplicable excitement thrumming in their veins.

Bilbo woke to his 10am alarm screaming at him to get up and get ready for his class. Begrudgingly, he debated if he shouldn't just cancel the days classes. Although, even if he did Gandalf would just show him the surprise the next day or, Yavannah forbid, come to his house. No, better to go in and get the day over and done with.

Teach his classes, see Gandalf, get the silly idea of him being the soulmate to a king of all people, then go home and pretend this never happened. He just hoped the principle and meddler-of-people's-lives would let him do that.

He got up from his bed and started on his morning (after-waking) routine of showering, eating, and watering his garden. Unknowingly that his day would have far more "surprises" than just Gandalfs. So, from taking to long in the shower out of worry all the way to bumbling through all his classes because his students wouldn't stop questioning him about his potential soulmate, he was very irritated and so ready to stuff his surprise down the tubes.

Which he clearly had shown on his face and the man in question, annoyingly ignored it and smiled joyfully. "Bilbo, dear, thank you for coming!"

"Gandalf I have had a bad day and would like to go home. What is this surprise."

"Now don't despair! I believe you might like this one." The glint in his eye spoke of mischief which made Bilbo believe otherwise. "I have thought of an idea that could tie other countries' universities together with ours. To make a collective board of education if you will. My idea goes like this, you and I travel to different large universities and talk to the faculty and see what they think of a teachers exchange program! See it's sort of like the students exchange program, where teachers go to other universities for a semester and teach subjects that you won't normally find. If all goes well we could implement smaller schools into the program to more enrich their curriculum."

As Gandalf rambled on, Bilbo stood stock still at his speech. Not only did he not bring up the topic of King Thorin and potential soul mates but his idea sounded absurd. What subjects would universities so desperately need to even participate in this "teachers exchange program." Any students who needed certain courses would obviously just go to the school of choice. Although it probably would be helpful for those who were unable to travel too far. But really, how many of those type of people were there.

"Gandalf," he interrupted, "while it sounds like a very - err - fascinating idea, I don't quite see what it has to do with me."

"Why, I would need a capable member of the staff to accompany me of course, for help with pitching my idea!" Bilbo gaped, "I respectfully decline, thank you. I have far too many things to do, classes to teach, traveling obligations to avoid."

"Bilbo Baggins, this is unavoidable. I have already made my decision, as well as all the possible arrangements including a substitute for your further classes. I do believe this trip to definitely be good for you and quite amusing for me. We leave at the end of the week. Good day Bilbo." He couldn't believe it! Further complaints did nothing to hinder the man, so Bilbo left for home feeling worse than before and with apparent packing to do.

Thorin woke just around breakfast time still exhausted. Last night's fiasco left him with terrible sleep and waking up so early helped nothing. Sluggishly he got ready for the day and headed to breakfast. Usually, the morning meal would be reserved for eating with Dis and the boys, but with them gone he took to just eating in his study and working right after.

He had hoped that Dori would have some updates for him first thing but it seemed that publicists take a bit longer than a few hours to achieve well enough results. So, it wasn't until his afternoon meeting with Balin on future events for the kingdom that any sign from the man came.

"Preparations for next week's Arrival party for the return of the royal family and the greeting of King Thranduil are coming along nicely. I have also put aside more research material for you for the new year's economic meetings, the agriculture sector wants to come up with a new layout for farmers land plots and some of the boards wish to apply for some more grants for special projects. We need to start up plans for the end of winter festivals, as well."

Thorin was listening attentively while studying the corresponding papers when a knock on his door quieted Balins voice. After a noise of confirmation, Dori entered tapping away at his tablet. "Good afternoon, your majesty, Balin. I have some updates for you on last night's soul mark reveal."

Gesturing to a seat, Thorin mentally prepared himself. "Well," the publicist started, "as we expected the news became worldwide in the matter of a few hours. Social media sites exploded with fake marks from all different countries. Of course, most were quite accurate of the tree." The implied meaning relieved of those words soothed Thorin. He rubbed his chest absently with the knowledge.

"Although, the idea that there is more to the mark than what was revealed is also starting to circulate. So, it's only a matter of time before someone gets it right by a guess." Thorin nodded at the man. He hoped Dori had a plan for this because this news didn't seem to have any solution in sight.

"There seems to be no end to this when everyone wants to be with a man who is basically a celebrity and just gave them a way to do it," Balin sighed. "You'd be surprised then that not everyone is in on it. Some people were using the opportunity to promote their businesses and one poor sod was dragged in against his will." The King and advisor grimaced at that. "Any way, as for a solution there's not really much we can do about it since it's gone viral so quickly."

"So we just have to let it be," Thorin cried. "Well yes. We let it be and wait for it to blow over and be extremely cautious about future marks. I suggest anyone who comes calling gets extra checking into whether their mark is genuine or not."

Thorin would have given anything at that moment just to go back to bed. All this was becoming increasingly problematic. "All right, Balin have a meeting be arranged either today or tomorrow with Dwalin to discuss security measures. Dori please come to, you can give us some insight on what they should entail." Ayes all around signaled going back to work.


End file.
